Building Java Programs - A Back to Basics Approach, 2nd edition

Building Java Programs - A Back to Basics Approach, 2nd edition

Authors	Year	Pages	Publisher	Dimensions, inch.	File type	Size, Mb	First 20 pages
Stuart Reges Marty Stepp	2010	1177	Addison-Wesley; 2 edition	3.5х4.35	PDF	7	First 20 pages

Book Description
Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach, Second Edition, introduces novice programmers to basic constructs and common pitfalls by emphasizing the essentials of procedural programming, problem solving, and algorithmic reasoning. By using objects early to solve interesting problems and defining objects later in the course, Building Java Programs develops programming knowledge for a broad audience.
About the Author 
Stuart Reges is a principal lecturer at the University of Washington where he teaches computer programming, programming languages, and discrete structures. He is co-author of an introductory Java programming textbook with Marty Stepp titled Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach. UW CSE’s Stuart Reges has won the 2011 University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award, which is given to faculty who show “a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor and a passion for teaching.” Marty Stepp is a computer science lecturer at the University of Washington where he teaches intro programming, web programming, and software engineering. Google highlighted his web programming resources in their Google Code for Educators initiative, and he was recently featured as the Seattle PI’s “Geek of the Week.” Stepp is the lead author of Web Programming Step by Step , with Jessica Miller and Victoria Kirst from the University of Washington. He is also co-author of Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach with Stuart Reges. Stepp wrote an online tool for practicing Java problems to accompany the Java textbook, called Practice-It!. He is also first author of Computing Fundamentals with C#. From 2004 — 2006, Stepp worked as a computer science lecturer at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Before that he spent a year as a developer at Microsoft on the Excel team. Stepp got a Master’s degree in computer science at the University of Arizona in 2003. He has done research in geometric algorithms and security, taught several courses as a graduate student, and was a teaching assistant for several years.

Detailed explanation: ID 10005

Customer Reviews

Great Introduction! November 30, 2010
By ComputerScienceMajor
As a college senior, I've had to read many textbooks; some painful, some not. This book is by far one of the best I have used. In fact, while I have been using Amazon's review services for my own purchases for many years, I haven't felt the compulsion to write a review. This is the first book to compel me to do so. It's an excellent book with few typos and a conversational style.

If you are just beginning to learn Java and haven't had any experience with OOP (Object Oriented Programming), I believe this book takes the right approach. It's a very up-to-date treatment of the basics of the language, and like the cover implies, builds the wall brick-by-brick. You'll learn the components of Java in an order that is easy to follow, the progression to more advanced topics being just about as natural as possible.

One idea that this book emphasized that others I have read did not (very well), is handling common programing errors. From the get-go, the authors stress how important it is to catch your programming errors as you go along, encouraging the construction of more robust (although still very rudimentary) programs.

In my opinion, this book has a very "let's teach Java how it is practiced" approach. It's very, very practical in the examples it uses and the problems it gives in the back of each chapter. There is also a case study at the end of each chapter that is unique to that chapter, covering the concepts highlighted.

For Students: If you've already had some experience in programming Java, this text might be a bit inadequate because it emphasizes the basics -- perhaps it would be a good reference text (although I'd encourage using Sun's online service). If you're brand new to the language, this is the book to get.

For Professors: PLEASE teach with this book. It not only helped me learn Java, it helped me appreciate it. A text book can easily make or break a student's interest in a subject; this book will definitely encourage interest.


Finally, a great beginners programming book April 8, 2011
By Student_of_Life
I've been trying to learn programming on and off for a couple of years on my own (going back to school will not work). I found it hard to learn because I couldn't find a book that explained the basics thoroughly. I tried C++, but after the first couple of chapters the authors lost me, skipping over knowledge I needed to know to understand what they were talking about next (yes, I tried more then one book). Then I went to Flash ActionScript and got a bit further as I learned some of the basic programming concepts and got to understand Events pretty well as I was able to create a MP3 player from scratch. But, seeing how there are not many jobs in ActionScript, I decided to look into Java.

After some research I came across this book earlier this year. It's more expensive then your average book on programming but I have so gotten my money's worth. Not only do you get the book that explains concepts like how an if/else statement works step by step, but you can also go to the website and download hours of video and powerpoint tutorials to supplement the book. The authors do an excellent job at explaining how things work, common errors to avoid and full coding examples. You can download Java, NetBeans IDE and jGRASP for free so you can learn how to code and debug at no additional cost except your time.

For my level of knowledge, I think this book rocks. The authors teach Java at a University in Washington State and it shows that they know how to teach beginners.


A super magic book for introductory-level programming May 17, 2011
By StarClusterM45
Format:Kindle Edition
I've never come across a textbook that layers ideas so strategically and ingeniously well. The ideas are presented in an order and in a manner that made it impossible for me to get lost or bored. Let me repeat that: I was neither lost nor bored--ever!

I'm convinced that any interested and diligent newbie can produce clean, delightful solutions in simple Java by learning from this book. It taught so well, I couldn't wait to get my hands on problem after problem. It made me crave problem solving and writing clean, inventive, non-redundant, well-commented code. The book holds your hand aggressively...I don't think I could have learned as much if the book were any less challenging or any less background-info-laden. The whole book is nicely and neatly designed and formatted, as well.

Detailed explanation: ID 10005